A Clinical Study on Serum Laminin Concentration on the Hepatic Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer

Kosei Izumi

Second Department of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical College (Director: Prof. Kyoichi Hamano)

We determined the laminin concentration of peripheral blood in 154 cases of colorectal cancer [H+ (positive for hepatic metastasis), 28 cases; H- (negative for hepatic metastasis), 126 cases]; and that of returned venous blood in 49 cases [H+, 8 cases; H-, 41 cases] by radioimmunoassay, and examined the relationship of laminin concentration to hepatic metastasis, intramural invasion, lymphatic invasion and venous invasion, to evaluate the utility of laminin concentration as a predictor of hepatic metastasis. Serum laminin concentration was significantly elevated in H+ cases with ss or deeper invasion and positive vascular invasion. In particular, serum laminin level was correlated with the extent of venous invasion, which is an important risk factor for hepatic metastasis. In H+ cases with advanced venous invasion, laminin concentration tended to be higher, though not significantly, in the returned blood than in the peripheral blood. The above findings suggest that laminin concentration would serve as a good predictor of hepatic metastasis. Since venous invasion can predict hepatic metastasis and the laminin concentration is correlated with the venous invasion, the cut off point in the laminin concentration as a predictor was placed at 1.44 U/ml according to the criteria for prediction by venous invasion.

Key words
hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer, serum laminin concentration

Reprint requests
Kosei Izumi Second Department of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical College
8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162 JAPAN

Accepted
February 12, 1992

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